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🎉 The holidays have come to an end, and it’s time to say goodbye to the New Year theme. Let’s wrap up our #NewYearReport series with a collection of holiday traditions from different countries, prepared by members of the International Applicants Club about Uzbekistan, Namibia, and Italy.

🇺🇿 In Uzbekistan, New Year is becoming an increasingly large-scale holiday that captures the whole country!
✔Even if there’s little snow, the winter mood can be felt everywhere – from the bustling streets of Tashkent to the cozy lanes of Samarkand and Bukhara.
✔The country’s main New Year tree is one of the most impressive in the world. It reaches almost 40 meters in height and is among the top three tallest New Year trees on the planet.
✔New Year in Uzbekistan is also a true feast of flavors. The tables traditionally feature plov (rice cooked with meat (usually lamb or beef), onions, carrots, and a blend of spices), samsas (layered dough filled most classically with minced meat), soups, fresh and dried fruits, sweets, and various types of tea. Dishes from different regions of the country are often prepared to showcase the richness and diversity of Uzbek cuisine.

🇳🇦 Namibia is located in the southern hemisphere on the African continent, so December here is summer: many people gather in riverbeds, on beaches, and even on sand dunes to welcome the New Year with music, fireworks, and friends while cooking over an open fire.

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Food is an integral part of a memorable New Year, so many families and friends gather for a "braai" (barbecue), enjoying salads, "potjiekos" (stew), and grilled meats like beef ("kapana"), chicken, or fowl. Rural culture is reflected in traditional dishes such as "mahangu pap" (millet porridge), cornmeal porridge, and "mopane worms" (edible caterpillars).
✔The numerous tribes have their own special traditions. For example, the Herero tribe performs a ritual of lighting the ancestral fire, symbolizing the connection between the living family and their ancestors.
✔But there are also more modern ways to celebrate the New Year: popular coastal cities like Swakopmund and Walvis Bay host beach parties, musical performances, and fireworks.

🇮🇹 Finally, Italy: here, it’s customary to celebrate New Year’s Eve with friends rather than relatives.

"Natale con i tuoi, Capodanno con chi vuoi,"

as the popular saying goes: "Christmas with your family, New Year’s with whomever you wish."
✔Italians wouldn’t be Italians without bringing their gastronomic traditions to the celebration: eating 12 grapes with each stroke of the clock to avoid losing luck in the coming year; adding plenty of lentils ("lenticchia") to festive dishes, believed to bring prosperity; serving "zampone" (stuffed pig’s trotter) and "cotechino" (fried sausage), symbolizing wealth and abundance in life.
✔At the same time, Italian traditions have also been significantly influenced by politics.

The historical division of the country into numerous counties, city-states, and principalities led to, for example, Pisa celebrating New Year on March 25, the Day of the Annunciation, according to the Pisan calendar, which was abolished in 1749. But 40 years ago, Pisans regained their New Year, complete with its own masquerade, regatta on the Arno River, a ritual of lighting a thousand candles, and festive fireworks.

As many countries, as many ways to celebrate the New Year. But no matter which country you visit, one thing remains unchanged: during this holiday, we bid farewell to the joys and failures of the old year and make wishes for the new one.

And if your wish this New Year was to enroll at MGIMO, we are sure it will come true, and we’re always here to guide you on how to make it happen!

By Islambek Yuldashbekov, Alexander Tomilov, and Alexey Goncharuk

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MGIMO International (ENG) / МГИМО для иностранцев (RUS)

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